Hello from Belize!

Belize has been amazing so far. Our trip out here was okay. Houston airport was terrible, and the flight from Seattle was not very comfortable at all. Once we got out of Houston, it was alright, and the flight was much better. The heat was intense as soon as we got off the plane. We took a taxi into Belize City, and once we got past all the taxi drivers trying to convince us to spend $80 USD for a ride with them, we got on a bus to Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Jungle Lodge. The Bus was packed, but not too uncomfortable. It took us about two hours to get to the lodge, and only cost us $3 USD for both of us to take the bus!

Once we got to Caves Branch, we were amazed. It is right in the middle of the Jungle, on a river. The paths were lit with tiki torches, and we got there just in time for dinner. The food was amazing the whole time we were there. Three meals a day, buffet style. We left every meal with a full stomach. Because the resort was pretty empty, we got upgraded from the bunkhouse to a private Cabana for no extra charge. We fell asleep to the sounds of the jungle.

The first thing we noticed is the humidity. 100%! The pages in books get wet from the water in the air. Clothes do not dry when you hang them, and after 3 days are just as wet as when you hung them up. We saw lots of wildlife at the lodge. Lots of Iguanas, Hummingbirds, and Frogs. One tarantula, a scorpion, a few snakes, and today we got to see Howler Monkeys before we left.

On our first day, we took a river tubing/cave expedition. We floated up a river on tubes, and explored a cave full of beautiful formations, and mayan pottery. The best parts were hiking to caverns and seeing the Mayan sculptures and when the guide told us to turn our headlamps off and let the current of the river take us through the cave. The darkness was like nothing we've ever experienced. It was breathtaking.

On our second day, we went swimming in the "Blue Hole", a sinkhole in the middle of the jungle, where the water is crystal clear, except for the deep part where it is a stunning blue/green. We also went on a walk through the jungle at night with a guide, looking for wildlife. We didn't see much, but it was still amazing to be in the the jungle at night, and to hear all the sounds.

Yesterday, we went on the "Black Hole Drop" tour. We hiked through the jungle for an hour, and were sweating like crazy. We finally came to a massive sinkhole, where we rappelled down 300ft (!) through the canopy, and down to the bottom of the sinkhole. We had lunch down there, and explored some more beautiful caves. Then it was another hour long hike back in the rain, which we didn't mind because it was so hot.

Today we left Caves Branch, and after a 2 hour bus ride, we have arrived at San Ignacio, near the Guatemalan border. We're staying at a nice little guest house here for a few days, and hope to explore some Mayan ruins, including Tikal, which is supposed to be one of the most spectacular in all of the world. San Ignacio is a lively little town, with colourful buildings and friendly people. Actually, everyone we've met in Belize has been very friendly and helpful.

Tonight we hope to have a nice dinner in a local restaurant, and hopefully hear some live music or go dancing.

note: we haven't been able to load any pictures as of yet but hope to very soon! Keep checking back. hope all is well in Vancouver!